Life as we know it
by Impassive Tears
Summary: Life changes...It's always been that way. But Tweek never expected life to change because of Craig Tucker. Too bad it did.
1. Tweek's Introduction

**A/N: I'm planning on making this really long...So, whoever is reading this, take pride that you've been reading from the start.**

**Enjoy the journey :)**

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My name is Tweek Tweak, and I am twitchy, paranoid and gnomophobic with a severe addiction to caffeine. or more specifally, coffee. I guess you can say those have always been consistent factors in my life, even now.

Other kids like me. I'm not sure if that's a new thing, or if it was always that way. I guess I'm kind of like Jimmy. We've both got disabilities, with me having ADD and Jimmy having crutches and serious stuttering problems. But our class loves him. He makes good jokes, has a nice personality and some people find his stutters amusing, just like they find my absurd (to them) theories and excessive speed of talking funny.

I'm not going to lie - not that I can... It's too much pressure! - I'm also cute. There I said it! Don't call me a fag for using that word - apparently guys can't say _feminine _words like that? - or arrogant, but that's what they say. Them being my friends. Oh, and sometimes my parents but those are very rare moments seeing as Mum barely _glances_ at me sometimes!

Everyone's always told me I am. I don't know why really. My _blonde luscious locks_? In reality, they're annoying as hell! They will never ever untangle or stop pointing out in different directions! My frequent hair pulling probably doesn't help, but still, even when I _try_ to tame it with hairstyling products and stuff, its like I've put freaking volumising spray on it! Also, apparently guys cant use any products, either, so the one time I tried will always have to be kept confidential. Seriously. I don't want to end up as Stan pussy Marsh, after all... I guess I have nice eyes, and I'm quite skinny, living off coffee and all, but thats it! I hope that last bit didn't sound vain?

I have no reason to be vain really, asides from being, uh, cute. I have tonnes of issues, some that I've said already in this thing (I still haven't decided what it is yet). But lots of people still want to be my friend. I only hang out with Clyde and Token, though, seeing as they're familiar faces, I trust them and they're fun to have as company.

Sometimes I talk to Butters because, well, a guy so innocent couldn't possibly want to try to scare me, or be capable of it anyway, but even if I say so myself, that guy's gay as a a rainbow coloured rainbow! ...that doesn't make sense does it? Sorry, I tend to say things that don't make sense.

Ok, I might as well say now. I'm gay. DONT TELL ANYONE! I hate to think of what my classmates would do... I mean, everyone was cool when Stan and Kyle came out... but he is a jock after all! Who's going to dare pick on him, or Kyle? Me? A scrawny blonde kid that most people think is on drugs? I have no chance man!

Off topic, sorry. Finding out I'm gay is new. _Really _new. It's, um, one of the main things that have changed my life.

Another one is probably a boy by the name of Craig Tucker.

He's kinda an outcast. He used to be popular, more or less, because of his middle finger that constantly popped up to say hello or maybe because he had (still has) undeniably good looks. I mean, those dark, straight strands that fall over one eye, his grey, green flecked eyes and strong body frame... Ack, I'm so gay...

But when we went into high school, he just stopped hanging out with everybody. Like, completely strted ignoring everyone, including me, Clyde and Token. We all used to be friends in elementary school, maybe even best friends. I wouldn't really know, I was sort of oblivious to anything outside of gnomes back then... Oh fuck why did I have to remind myself of that?!

Since high school, all he's ever really done is lurk behind the school shed, smoking cigarettes, or so I have heard. He keeps himself to himself, and I can't say I'm mad about it. The cold, dark glares he gives everyone behind those black bangs... It makes me feel like he's gonna murder me, or rape me, or both!

So it was weird when he turned up at my house, 7am on a Saturday (!), tears falling from his Grey and already bloodshot, puffy orbs, and the first thing he did when I opened the door was latch his lanky arms around me in a hug like we had never even stopped hanging out.

_It. Was. Just. Too. Much. Pressure._

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**Reviews please? And there may be a few errors in this as I was rushing, so please point them out if you have the time? :c**


	2. Blank

Skip past this chapter.


	3. Reunion

"C-Craig?" I pull away, and he does too, staring at me as if I initiated the embrace, or something. I didn't! We both look down, me out of confusion and discomfort, and him out of… I don't even know – he's hard to read.

"Tweek, I –" He starts to say something then cuts himself off, sticking his hands in his pockets. I frown and he looks up, snagging his lips on his teeth. I can see a trail of blood coming from his lips, and I want to stop him, but what right do I have? Then I see it. The darkish shade of red around his eyes, the cuts, the other bruises. They all litter his face, and I don't know what else lies on his body. I stifle a scream. What right do _they _have?

"Come in." I mutter, and he nods curtly, stepping inside and closing the door after him. I'm still in my large grey top and boxers, and the way Craig keeps looking at me makes me feel indecent. Well, I am, and you know what they say about slutty dressers. Oh god, I'm going to get raped!

Luckily, his eyes are now on the interior of my house. I almost think this is it, he's memorizing the look of my house to guide his plan of kidnapping me in the middle of the night, but then I remember he hasn't been here for years, and he's probably just seeing what's changed. Though, that's his own fault.

Nothing's even changed that much, just the pictures on the mantel piece have been replaced with newer ones. Amongst other things. As we go up the stairs, I see him scanning the walls. There used to be a portrait of us up there, one I messily scribbled when I was little. Now it's gone. I wonder if he notices that.

I let him into my room and he sits on my bed, still looking at me. I tremble, and sit next to him. "Craig, w-what – nngh – happened?" I ask, but he doesn't reply, just staring at the gnome's layre. Though, to him, it's probably just a hole in the wall.

"What's that?" He questions, gesturing at it and looking at me with those grey eyes. It's weird how grey they are. He has to be wearing contacts – it's not even natural. Unless… he's a vampire! I shake my head at myself. A vampire would be able to defend themselves in a fight, and their skin in unbreakable. Besides, vampires don't have yellow fingertips.

I decide to be truthful. "That's where the gnomes live." I tell him solemnly, shuddering at the thought of them. He stares at me, _again, _then rolls his eyes and scoffs. I scowl, curling up, before realising it only exposes me more. Jesus Christ! Wait, I shouldn't say his name in vain! I'm going to hell!

I notice it's silent, and I decide if he's not going to tell me anything, I'll just help him anyway. I leave the room without saying something and go to the bathroom to grab a cloth and dowse it in water. I glance in the mirror and actually scream this time; Craig's right behind me.

"Shut up! You'll wake your parents!" Craig hisses, wrapping his arms around me to shush me. I nod, then my eyes widen as I think about what we're doing again. I haven't talked to this guy in years and we've already kind of hugged _twice_? I yank my arms away and force him back to my room, onto my bed.

"Be gentle." He grinds out as I gingerly apply the rag to one of his cuts, washing away the blood and dirt. He grimaces a lot, and I flinch and shake a bit, but finally it's done. I should disinfect it properly, or put a plaster on some of them, but Mom keeps all the medical supplies locked up in her room because she thinks I'll hurt myself with them for some reason.

I think he leans in for a second and I freeze, but then my phone rings and he stops himself. I keep one eye on him suspiciously as I answer it. "H-hello?" I say, and as the other person starts speaking I realise it's on loudspeaker. Crap. I try to turn it off, to no avail.

"Hey Tweek, wanna hang out today?" Clyde asks, and I see Craig glaring at his feet.

"S-sure." I say, but then hang up quickly as he gets up. I chase after him as he walks out the room silently. "W-where are you going?" I cry after him, and he only just turns back to me when he's reached the door.

"See you around, Tweekers." He then leaves, and I don't know why, I really don't, but I want to cry.

"Bye." I murmur, walking back up the stairs.

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**AN: Review? :)**


	4. Assignment

_**Serendipityrain711:** __Yes, I wanted to give that feeling. Things will never be the same with them, but they might cut close, eventually._

**_MKcoffee &amp; SplatteredMadness:_**_ I'm glad you guys like it. I'm excited about this one._

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"So, he just walked out?" Token asks me, his eyebrows furrowing together. I'm glad I'm here with him, and Clyde, since they know Craig, too. I think we're the only ones who remember him, if that makes sense. Remember him being normal, kind of. I nod, biting my lip. Why _did _he just walk out?

"It's weird he came in the first place." Clyde comments, drawing flowers on Token's hand. He tries to draw on me too, sometimes, but I never let him near me. The toxic ink could seep into my skin, stay there, give me a rash and blood poisoning! Evil, fatal flowers, if you ask me. They're dating – Clyde and Token. They just don't talk about it much.

"W-what do you t-think I should do?" I ask anxiously, poking at my burger, and opting for a sip of coffee instead. It's my favourite drink, but everyone says it's an addiction. I sigh, and have a though. "Nngh, what if he wants to be f-friends?" I cry out, digging my hands into my thigh. Ouch. I have cuts there, where the gnomes got me. I wonder if Craig saw.

Clyde looks up, beaming. I cringe. Clyde's not an ugly smiler – don't tell him that! – but he does it really goofily and it freaks me out a bit. "Maybe! We'd be the fantastic foursome again!" Clyde enthuses, and Token groans into his hands, yanking the graffitied one away from Clyde's grasp. I shake my head firmly.

"He's scary now." I mutter, and Clyde laughs at me. I scowl. He didn't look so scary at my house, beaten up like that, but he usually does, when he's smoking cigarettes and his hair is over his eyes and he uses one to glare at people and… No, I'm not being friends with him again!

"Sure." Token rolls his eyes, and I shiver as someone walks over my grave.* Why do they have to keep doing that?!

…and why do I feel like someone is watching me? Too much pressure.

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I haven't seen Craig yet, but I think he ditches most lessons, and because of that I'm not sure which ones he is in, anyway. I don't think I ever looked out for him before. Ugh, maybe I should just forget it. But then he walks in, and I wrinkle my nose. He's wearing a long sleeved shirt, a scarf, and anything else which covers up his wounds. He looks like a mummy. I slap myself on my face, making a few people turn around and stare. Mummies!

The teacher raises an eyebrow but waves him to his seat. Wait, why is he walking over to me? He sits down in the seat next to me, and I mentally flip out. Has he always been sitting next to me? He's silent, not looking at me. Oh.

"Now, class, we will be doing paired projects." Butters waves to me from the front row. I think he means he wants to be my partner. I like Butters, but as I say, I mostly hang out with Token and Clyde. "I'll be chosing the partners, this time, due to some of you acting…irresponsibly." She turns to glare at Cartman and Kenny. I twitch. Who do I have to work with?

"The person on your right will be your partner. The sheets are on your desk." I turn to my right, and scream, making Craig's eyes, well, eye, widen and half the class look at me. I blush, and try to read the sheet. "A problem, Tweek?" I squeal, realising it's not the teacher. Not that Craig sounds feminine, it's just that he was speaking quietly and I didn't expect him to talk and I'm an idiot, I know!

I shake my head furiously, trembling, as he leans over and grabs the sheet, scanning it. He scoffs, and I snap. "What!" He shows me the sheet I barely looked at.

_For your 6-week-assignment, you and your partner will engage in a creative project. You will aim to present a 10-minute presentation on the 5__th__ of November, depicting one of the following themes: joy, envy, gluttony, rage, solace, betrayal, trust and tolerance. You will be assessed on oral –_

I don't read the rest, feeling sick, and struggling to breathe. 6 weeks, with _Craig_? Talking about emotions, with _Craig_? Working together, with _Craig_? I can't do this. Please, please say I don't have to do this!

"Come to my house tomorrow." You let me down.

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**Please review. * Is an expression. Tweek believes in superstitious things like that.**


	5. Tolerance

"_It would be nice if you said something!" I cried, wringing my hands. "I'm sorry we have to do the project together, but you have to help!" Craig was just sitting there, glaring at the floor, not responding for awhile. It made me think he was plotting something…like my death – Oh, why did I have to say that? Jesus Christ._

_Craig stood up, looming over me. I gulped. "Help?" As far as I could tell, his eyes narrowed. "Like you helped me?" He yelled, and I cringed, backing away on my bed. He grabbed my wrists. "You abandoned me, Tweek! I hate you, I hate you!" His fists swinged forward, making contact with my face and knocking me out._

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I wake up, screaming. I check the time on my phone, curling up. 1:30am. Well, I'm not going to be able to go to sleep now. I tremble. How can I go to Craig's house? What if my dreams actually happens, or worse? God, what if he cuts me up for revenge?

But, what did I even do? I didn't _abandon _him. He abandoned me! I wasn't the one to become a loner – that was him. I'm probably overthinking this, he probably doesn't think that. Still, why did he come around the other day? Why did he hug me, and why the gnome was he beaten up?

Ugh, _gnomes._

I really shouldn't have mentioned them, especially since they'll be here soon. I stare at their layre solemnly. I'm not going to think about Craig, I'm not going to think about Craig stupid Tucker…

Or the fact that if we were still friends, he would be here right now, protecting me. I think I miss that.

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I walk home in silence, but I'm not alone. I can't help making anxious noises every couple of seconds. I mean, good god, I'm going to Craig's house! I can't stop thinking about that dream…Or him. I glare at his back, hating the whole project, hating him. Well, I don't really hate him. That sounds mean. I'm sorry! I just don't even get who he is, anymore.

I fidget as he stops outside the front door, searching for the key. It looks the same as it always has, not far from my house. I wonder if Craig will have pile of laundry waiting on his bed that he used to love to do, which is really weird, or whether Stripes is still there. I shouldn't remember all this stuff about him, considering once this project is over, I never want to speak to him again!

I follow him inside, trying not to pull at my hair, and plucking at my backpack straps inside. I step past a few takeaway boxes. Ew, germs. It looks a lot messier than the last time I saw it. I squeeze my eyes shut, not wanting to see anymore, and trail after him on the stairs. I trip, falling a bit before grabbing the banister. I yelp, but he doesn't look back. Bastard.

I open my eyes again, running after him to his room, kind of interested about what it is like now. Huh, not that different. For someone who loves doing laundry, his room is so messy, if he still does, that is. Oh, what should I care? Craig sits on the bed, and I linger in the doorway, biting my lip.

"You can sit down, you know." I grind my teeth and sit on the bed as well, a few inches away from him. I try to calm myself down, knowing it won't help much. Craig doesn't seem angry, and he's not sitting on the floor, it's all good. Yet, he's not saying anything…Yup, I'm going to die.

"Are you okay, you seem on edge…" I ignore his nasal tone, peeling at a thumbnail. He's staring at me, making me nervous. "So, what do you-" He doesn't finish as he stares ahead, past me, out the window. I frown, seeing a car pull up in the driveway. What's wrong about a car?

…Unless I'm about to be human trafficked. Shit.

"Tweek, you need to go. I'll, uh, see you tomorrow…" I blink. That ended quickly. At least I won't get killed. He grabs my arm when I don't get up immediately, making me screech and jolt away, rushing out of the house. I barely register Craig's Dad staring at me, kind of angrily, as I run away.

I also don't want to think about that loud thud.


	6. Joy

"_Look, Craig, I know it's hard for you at home, but you don't need to do THIS!" Clyde yelled, and I ducked behind a corner as my three best friends came into view. I hoped it didn't count as eavesdropping…What if they saw me and beat me up? Or hated me? Oh, Christ – they could have been plotting my murder!_

_I heard a few words muttered. "Dude, we're sorry that things at home suck but –" A few more muttered words I didn't hear. "But doing drugs isn't cool." Token carried on. "It'll ruin your life." He said seriously._

"_I don't have a life, not a good one I could "ruin". Not anymore."_

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"Tweek?" I yelp as Craig's face is in my face, and I jerk away. My eyes adjust to my room, and they widen. Oh god, what is Craig doing in my room? I glance at my open laptop and see the project title on the first slide of a presentation on the screen. Oh, the project.

"What do you want to do?" His voice is so flat it doesn't sound like a question. I shrug. I don't know what I want to do. I just want this project to be over, so Craig can leave! He's not exactly horrible, but it's kind of hard to talk to someone you used to be with friends with then – I don't know what we are now.

"Um, coffee!" I dashed out of the room, finding my way to the Kitchen and to the coffeemaker. I turn the machine on as I think, trying to calm myself down. It's all getting to me; Craig, Craig, Craig, project, Craig, memories.

I pour the coffee into a cup. Was that real? That memory where I eavesdropped on Clyde, Token and Craig? I can't remember it. Oh god, I'm being injected with some kind of amnesia potion! I shudder, taking a sip as I walk slowly back upstairs, careful not to spill anything.

I put my drink onto my desk as I move back onto the bed, slightly wary how close he still is to me, as if he somehow shuffled closer, without me realising. "Nngh, we could do joy." I offer and he shrugs, turning away and using my laptop – my laptop! – to add a title. Theme – Joy. Okay, one bit over. What do we-

"We just have to say what it is and shit." Craig deadpans, already opening up a window and my mouth drops open. He read my thoughts! Jesus Christ! I knew there was something odd about him! That's why his eyes are so grey and –

My eyes shift to the screen as he just stares at it. I squeak, realising the search box shows past searches. _Can the government intercept phonecalls _and _Am I being poisoned _and _I'm gay, will I get beaten up? _My eyes screw shut, embarrassed. Now Craig knows, he'll tell everyone I'm queer! That's why he came around my house, to make my guard come down, and find a secret that'll guarantee he can be popular again!

"You alright?" I sit back up, staring at him. I need to find a bodyguard. Oh god, what if I can't find one, and I have to defend myself? What if I get someone really hurt and end up in prison? You know what they do to guys like me! They make me their –

"I'm gay, too. Calm down." My eyes widen, and we both sort of look at each-other for a while. He looks kind of bored, but he always freaking does, while I don't know what to think or feel! He's gay? He just told me to calm down? We're not friends anymore – since when is he allowed to comfort me? His shoulder brushes up against mine and I gulp, relaxing just a bit. Damn it.

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**Apologies, but it's still going to be a while until the Creek starts up. Still, review so I will upload the next chapter quicker, which in turn will make the Creek come sooner!**


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